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Beer Store: A high-tech makeover

The Beer Store, the brand name for the privately owned Brewers’ Retail operation, is kicking off the start of the 2013 beer selling season with the unveiling of four new pilot project outlets.

The locations, three in downtown Toronto and one in Oakville, incorporate new branding and store design features.

And they offer a new way of selecting and buying beer, with digital touch screens displays in two outlets replacing the traditional wall of labels that some customers have found difficult to read.

A graphic wall application made to resemble a chalkboard that lists brands sold across the province is also being tried while one store has take-away printed price sheets that list individual pricing of brands sold in the store.

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The fresh branding and merchandise includes new colour schemes for advertising and merchandise, expanded beer fridges, more streamlined, dedicated bottle return recycling and the new beer wall that encourages customers to learn about the beer they might want to buy.

The Beer Store’s employees have also gone through a training course to become “ambassadors” for beer.

Andrea Randolph, retail vice-president, said the Beer Store will launch a “community-focused” advertising campaign and collect feedback on the new design in coming months before deciding on which changes will be rolled out across the chain of more than 440 outlets.

Other design changes include:

New employee uniforms in new colours, logo and slogans on the back saying either Beer Champion or Beer Enthusiast;

New branded singles carriers and new beer gift cards;

Refreshed retail gear such as pilsner glasses and openers

Ambient music and helpful, pleasant staff.

Retail industry consultant Len Kubas, chair of KubasPrimedia, said the Beer Store is adjusting to a new style urban clientele that values innovative marketing and may be interested in sampling smaller quantities of beer.

He also said the chain is reacting to the growth of the LCBO, which has used a focus on marketing and branding to chip away at the Beer Store’s dominance.

The four stores to have received a makeover are:

Bathurst and College, Danforth and Greenwood, Parliament and Winchester and Hopedale Mall in Oakville.

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